Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Hi folks,It's been a busy few weeks here at the shop getting our orders in and ready for the fall season, but we have some great shop news to share with you this week.First up, 'The Spot' is hosting Dry Fly Presentations By Master Casting Instructor Joe Libeu on Saturday, September 29th. Joe Libeu is the owner of Sierra Pacific Fishing Adventures.

This casting class will start at 9 am and run until 12 noon. The 3-hour class is limited to 6 students to insure individual instructions and the cost is $75.00. We only have a few slots left, so call the shop ASAP (818) 785-785-7306 to reserve your spot. This class will take you beyond the basics and make you a better angler, and you will be able to apply your skills the next time you are on the water. We will meet at the Fishermen’s Spot at 8:30am and carpool to the casting location.

Following the casting class, we will also have a presentation, "Fishing the Dark Side of the Lower Owens," presented byJoe Libeu starting at 1pm sharp. There is no charge for this presentation, but because of limited space, reservations are suggested. Please contact Fishermen’s Spot at (818) 785-7306 for reservations.

This presentation will cover the basics of nymphing the Lower Owens. He will cover planning, observations, entomology, reading the water, nymph rigs and presentations. Joe considers the Lower Owens his home water and Joe is considered one of the most knowledgeable individuals on fishing this area. We all know the Lower Owens can be fickle, but with the skills taught in the presentation, you will be well armed with right info to have a productive day.

Now, let's get to the local fishing conditions. The general area has been fishing really well recently and we've gotten some great intel from our condition providers.Vaughmn Podmore sent this over to us regarding the local salt:

Beaches: The beaches are still fishing well for Yellowfin croaker and we are definitely seeing better tides now that things are cooling down a bit. Suggested fly patterns are clousers Brown/Orange, Blue/White and crabby patterns for corbina. See Ken at the shop for my fly patterns and recommendations.

Inshore: The Longbeach break wall is still fishing really well and we are seeing good Calico bass early morning or late afternoon.

Offshore: The bite around Catalina is great. We have found several yellowtail and bonito. The bonito are averaging 8lbs and we have broken off some big yellowtail. Dorado have been hit or miss but if you find the right structure you can find some nice fish. Suggested fly patterns are sardina patterns. See Ken at the shop for my fly patterns.

Vaughn PodmoreSaltyFly Guide Servicesaltyflyhb@yahoo.comhttp://www.saltyflyfishing.com/Home.htmlNext, Bernard Yin took a trip to the Sierras recently and focused on the western slope in the Sierra's.

On my latest exploration, the signs were good. Clear skies and warm weather with fish still starting to show. Given that browns prefer some clouds, gloom or rain I am excited. It's been a rough year for the fish and the cooling of fall as well as possibly some weather should make up for the tough summer.

After walking some of these beats for years as part of the SFF team, I feel that I have gotten a reasonable read on these fish. The big challenge is reading what happens one day and determining what that means for the next.

This next section is from Joe Contaldi owner of Performance Anglers.Lower Owens: Shaping up nicely for drifting, and things are definately starting to change around here. The trees are turning, and we are seeing some early fall hatches of midges, mayflies and caddis early morning before it gets warm.

Upper Owens: As temperatures cool down we are seeing fish moving up into the river from Crowley for spawning. The Trico hatches are great right now and if you have some time I would head on up and get in on the action.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Hi folks,
Thank you all for the support over the Labor Day weekend. The shop was very busy, and we were able to make some space for the all the new product we will be receiving shortly for the fall season. Some quick updates:The Spot is offering a Crash Course Intro to Fly Fishing on Sunday, September 30th from 9am-4pm and October 28th. ($125). If you or anyone you know wants to get involved in fly fishing, please have them call the shop to reserve their spot.This coming weekend, September 13-16, The Spot will be at the Fly Fishing Fare in Mammoth, so if you are in the area, come stop by our booth and say hi. We will have some great products and sale items at the show.

This last week the guys from the Saltwater Fly Rodders club went out and hooked and landed 7 Sea Bass on the fly! Some of these went up to 25lbs and they broke several off and it's definitely something I want to try.
This week, we got some great intel from our info providers...
Vaughn Podmore from SaltyFly Guide Service sent this over to us.
Beaches:
The beaches have been spotty down south and the Santa Anna inlet is your best bet right now. First light is best for targeting corbina and Yellow fin croaker. The top flies have been the "crabby patty" size 6-8 and the clouser olive/ white or orange/ white in size 4.
Inshore:
Newport Harbor has been struggling a bit, but if you put some time in, you will get results. The bays are fishing best on an incoming tide and the Long Beach break wall has been off the hook recently. We have done very well on Calico bass in Long Beach recently and our largest bass of the week came in at 7lbs. Top fly has been the wool head sculpin. Also, the deeper reefs have been producing some good numbers of Calico. Ask Ken at the shop for my fly patterns if you are heading down to fish the bay and he will hook you up.

Catalina:
Catalina has been fishing pretty well and we are finding decent numbers of bonito and barracuda. The biggest opposition we have had has been the warmer water, but if you know where to look you will find them. Top fly has been a blue and white surf candy and anchovy patterns in black and white are also doing well. If it gets too sunny and the fish are picky, switch up to a light color clouser size 2-4 and you will see results.

Offshore:
The offshore bite has been pretty good. Good size Dorado have been scattered around. We have been focusing on kelp patties around the 272, 209 and 189 spots. Sardine patterns are best and clousers 1/0 fished on 12lb leader. Ask Ken about my fly pattern or recommended patterns for the Socal salt.

If you would like to book a trip, or if you have questions please feel free to call me.
Vaughn PodmoreSaltyFly Guide Servicesaltyflyhb@yahoo.comhttp://www.saltyflyfishing.com/Home.htmlNext up, our good buddy, Bernard, was down in the San Diego area last week, and judging by the picture, it's fishing pretty well right now. The Santa Monica area is seeing some good fish, and many of the beaches have healthy sand crab beds right now, which are providing an ample food source. Check in at the shop for suggested fly patterns for our local beaches.

If you would like a guided trip with Bernard, please call us at the shop: 818-785-7306 to check availability and reserve your day.

Joe Contaldi AKA "Matuka Joe" had this to say about Crowley and the Owens:Crowley Lake is fishing well right now, but the water level is dropping. The most productive area is Mcgee Bay. We have been finding fish early in the mornings and perch patterns are doing best. The algae bloom is coming on and fish are keyed in on the perch fry in coves like 6 Bays as the cruisers are working the shoreline for the perch, but don't count out the midge bite as well. The lower and upper Owens is coming on nicely and we are seeing some good fish on nymphs and dries.

Greg Forgatch with a 20+ inch Rainbow upper Owens river this week on a hopper pattern tan body size 14

Thanks again, Joe Contaldi of Performance Anglers, for that great update.

Make sure to find Fishermen's Spot on Facebook and follow us for daily updates from the shop and for the latest info on upcoming sales, classes and trips. Hope to see you all soon and have a great rest of the week.